


Where’s Our Happy Ending?

by Poplida



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Detective Shiro (Voltron), Engaged Keith/Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Murder, Murder Mystery, Murder on the Orient Express au, Mystery, Plot Twists, but not really?, dignitary Allura, honestly, just winging it, kind of but I’ve only seen the movie so, train, yolo I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-01 05:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16758970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poplida/pseuds/Poplida
Summary: It was then that he noticed something disturbing. A tarp hastily squished between two suitcases. Hidden from people entering the room but obvious to anyone leaving. On the tarp, a large trail of dried blood had oozed out from the folds.Leaving Keith with the bloody evidence and the urgent question of 'Where is Lance?'.It’s based off the Murder on the Orient Express except I’ve only seen the movie





	1. Chapter 1

“Keith, honey, this is part of the short time we have to spend with each other with no strings attached. Maybe you should be spending a little less time in the cutlery shop?”  
  
“Lance, I understand this is important to you, considering we’re finally out of America where you’re a big famous singer, but please. Honeymoons are meant for both people. If I want to spend two hours examining each set of knives they have in this fine Parisian shop, I will.”  
  
Lance let his head fall back against the wooden shelf. If he spent one more minute in the dim, damp and oaky little shop Keith had already spent an hour in, he might actually lose his mind before their train left the station.  
  
“How about I go make sure the train doesn’t leave without us.”  
  
“No, Lance, really. I’ll be done in just a few minutes.”  
  
“Mr. knife boy, I love you, but I know how you get with this stuff. You still have an hour before the train leaves. Don’t buy too much and I’ll meet you on the train- Loveyoubye!”  
  
Lance dashed out of the shop leaving Keith to gaze after him for a few seconds before his complete attention returned to the knife in his hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Excuse me. Pardon me. Oops, sorry.”  
  
“Watch where you’re going, miscreant. You’re in no company to be behaving like a bumbling infant.”  
  
“Oh, Haggar, please. If anything, you’re no woman to be speaking down to him. Lance, I presume?”  
  
“Ah yes, how might you know me?” Lance was begging that this man that appeared to be boarding the same train he was wasn’t a fan. He had hoped being on a high-end train for his and Keith’s honeymoon in a different country would be far enough that they wouldn’t have to deal with any fans.  
  
“Oh, apologies. This must have made you think that… Well anyways, I’m Lotor. You may know me from the news, I’ve recently taken over the kingdom of Galra, my father’s empire.”  
  
“Oh! Yes, now that I get a good look. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you at first. You’d think the silver hair would be a dead giveaway.” Lance let out a forced half chuckle. Not only was he in the presence of King, but he also apparently made a bad first impression with his advisor. And to add to that, Lotor’s country wasn’t the nicest of countries. Being in his presence alone was enough to make him uncomfortable.  
  
Lance started panicking when he saw Lotor’s face contorting down. “I suppose my reputation, or should I say my father’s, precedes me?” A half nod from Lance was enough for him to let out a sigh. “Yes, I will admit my father was not the best man. He did many horrific things. But in his tragic death, I am hoping to better things. Maybe we could have a chat before the train leaves? Get to know each other a little better since we will be stuck in the same area for quite some time.”  
  
Considering Lance was being asked if he wanted to sit down and have a little chat by a King, what choice did he have? And he couldn’t say he wasn’t curious to see where this was going.  
  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Shiro had not been expecting to run into his old colleague Keith in a knife shop in Paris.  
  
What he had been expecting was to buy his friend Hunk a nice set of knives. Hunk was set to be the onboard specialized chef. His next ladder rung on the way to achieving cooking royalty status. Shiro had been willing to pay for half of his ticket in order to be on the same train as Hunk for his debut. The other half was paid for by his client who had work for him in the country of Galra, the end destination of the train.  
  
“Well butter my biscuits and call me a cranberry, is that really you Keith?”  
  
“Shiro? Shiroooo, I thought you would have stopped that by now. Just because I said that one time does not mean you can keep lording it over me.” Keith may or may not have gone on a stake-out with Shiro during the academy where they were discovered. And being the young thing he was then, Keith’s first instinct had been to impersonate someone from the midwest. And not a very good impression at that. “What brings you all the way out here? Gosh, I haven’t seen you since the academy!”  
  
“You know, the usual. A private client hired me to do a little business over in Galra.”  
  
“And they paid for a train ride that expensive?”  
  
“What can I say, I’m a man of very large status,” a large smirk grew on Shiro’s mouth. “But what about you? What brings you to Paris? Last I heard you were doing investigative work in Chicago.”  
  
“Oh, I still am. Actually, I’m on my honeymoon…”  
  
“Really! And I wasn’t invited to the wedding? Unbelievable.”  
  
“Oh hush up. You’ll meet him on the train… Oh! Uh, yeah. I’m gay, I wasn't out yet... Uhh…”  
  
“Well that’s great Keith! I can’t wait to meet him. Anyone I’d know?”  
  
A look of mischief crossed Keith’s face. Shiro would definitely know Lance but he wasn’t going to ruin a surprise that would put such a hilarious expression on his face. And knowing Shiro, he would try to tell Lance about Keith’s Midwestern impression. Something Lance wouldn’t let him live down. So for now, “you might recognize him when you meet him.”  
  
“Vague. Nothing good ever comes out of Keith being vague. Well, I’m excited to meet him. For now, though, I need to pay for this new set of knives. The specialist chef is a friend of mine and I wanted to give him something as congratulations on the job.”  
  
“That’s nice. I just bought these few sets and my new husband will never let me live it down if I spend too much more time in the knife store, so see you again soon then!”  
  
“See you!”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Allura-”  
  
“For the last time Coran, I am not a princess. Please just let me have this. It’s only a few days train ride to Galra. I am meeting with the new ruler, and it would be lovely if I didn’t have to bring along a bodyguard.”  
  
Coran made sure his disapproval was made clear with a long sigh. “I’m just saying that as a foreign dignitary trying to establish relations with a country whose future is quite undecided currently, it may come off as more professional to bring along a few extra hands.”  
  
“And all I’m saying is that it would be an incredible display of mistrust to bring along a hired brute.”  
  
“It’s not mistrust, it’s caution.”  
  
“My decision is final Coran. I do thank you for worrying about me, but your only job is to make sure I don’t get sick and advise on foreign cultural matters.”  
  
“Well you sure do put up quite the argument don’t you.” Coran held nothing but pride for the woman who had become almost like a daughter to him. As a dignitary, she spent much of her time away from home and him having knowledge of foreign cultures with a moderate amount of medical training, they spent a lot of time together.  
  
He guided her to the entrance of the train. “Now remember, upon meeting Lotor, unless told otherwise, address him as King Lotor. His country is a monarchy and as the heir, he would take up the crown and be-” Allura paused in stepping onto the train to turn around and rest a hand on Coran’s shoulder.  
  
“Coran, I know. You’ve told me a couple hundred times. Any other immediately important information I should be aware of?”  
  
“Well I looked into the other passengers and there is a little information you may want to know about them.”  
  
“Of course, there's never a bad time to give a good representation of Altea.”  
  
“Okay then. There will be of course King Lotor. He will most likely be traveling with his royal advisor Haggar and his usual bodyguard Sendak. You probably won’t see Sendak though, he’ll be hiding away from view. There will also be a scientist named Samuel Holt from England. He will be traveling with his daughter Pidge who he has taken on in apprenticeship. A detective will be aboard. His full name is Takashi Shirogane but how he would like to be addressed is beyond me. Should you two interact, it is best to let him tell you. A newlywed couple will also be with us. It is to my understanding one of them is a Lance Mcclain from America. He is supposedly quite famous in the singing industry. Making a good impression with him opens the possibility of improving our status with America. There will also be a private chef whom you can order select food from. His name is Hunk and his reputation definitely precedes him so you should be in for a treat.”  
  
“Coran, you might have wanted to inform me of this at least a few hours before I was boarding the train,” Allura said with a thin smile. It was definitely like Coran to skip over some important information.  
  
“Sorry Allura,” He said with a guilty expression.  
  
“It’s quite alright. Maybe next time?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“So to sum it all up, you are going to try to move your kingdom away from a monarchy to make it a democracy? That’s amazing! And not to take away from how much of an impact this could have, but what does that mean I should address you as?”  
  
Lotor let out a little chuckle, “well quite honestly, I still haven’t figured it all out. That’s part of the reason I’ve told you all this. I’m about to meet with a dignitary from Altea to discuss the future relations between our countries. I was hoping talking to you would prepare me for questions she might have for me. But back to your question, I think for now I will continue with the title of Prince. I have no wish to step into my father's role as King, but until any future government is set up it will be a necessity for my people to have someone they recognize and trust.” Prince Lotor finished with a serious expression. He really wanted to change the lives of all his people for the better. “So how’d I do?”  
  
“I’m no dignitary but I’m in awe anyway. You have some life-changing plans set up.”  
  
“Thank you, Lance, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you. Perhaps we could meet again during the duration of the train ride?”  
  
“That would be great! Although this is my honeymoon so we’ll see how much Keith and I will be getting out of our room if you know wh… uh... Yeah, it’d be great to see you again, better find Keith, okay, bye!”  
  
Lance left in a hurry with his thoughts repeating the phrase ‘oh my dear goodness and back did I just make a sexual innuendo in front of a prince?’  
  
Once his head slowed its whirlwind train of thought, Lance had the bright idea that maybe he should go find he and Keith’s room to check for their luggage and be ready to meet with Keith. Passing by a window with a view of a grand clock, he saw that Lotor had been chatting with him for about 45 minutes. He would be surprised if Keith wasn’t ready yet. He couldn’t actually spend 2 hours in a knife shop, could he?  
  
Three train cars of lavish hallways later, Lance found room 4. The gold number stood out on the mahogany door and paired with the dark patterned carpet, everything exuded luxury. Keith would feel a little guilty; like he didn’t deserve it. But he did. And Lance was more than happy to spend any amount of money if it meant he and Keith would have a nice week away from the masses.  
  
Knocking on the door, Lance could only hope Keith had already grabbed a room key and set up, because if not, Lance would have to find someone to help.  
  
“Finally! What took you so long?” Keith asked with a teasing smile.  
  
“Oh hush up and show me your new knives.”  
  
“What new knives? I didn’t get anything.”  
  
“Keith. Come on baby.”  
  
Coloring at the use of the pet name, Keith let Lance step into their room. The walls matched the doors with a deep mahogany color. Red accents were drawn into swirling patterns and a queen-sized bed took up the largest portion of the room. The room smelled like a mixture of sandalwood and vanilla. Sweeping his gaze to the bed, Lance practically felt the velvet of the blankets before even touching them. In fact, Lance was completely content to let his senses be overrun by the room’s expensive impression of a home until he saw what laid spread out in orderly rows on the bed.  
  
“Oh Keith, you didn’t”  
  
“I may have.” Lance lept up on Keith with a hug. But Kieth was not having it, so he shimmied his body until Lance fell to his ankles.  
  
“Rude! But I’ll let it pass because you bought me the moisturizer that I have been dropping hints about for a while. How did you find it in Paris though?”  
  
“Lance, they make it in Paris. I thought that was why you wanted to start here?”  
  
“No! I wanted to come to Paris because I love you, and we just got married, and this is our honeymoon away from my adoring fans in America, and lets just back up a second here so we can address the thing at hand. You thought I bought a really nice trip from Paris to Gelra just for the purpose of buying a moisturizer?”  
  
“Uh… yes?”  
  
“No! Keith!”  
  
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I guess we’ll need to up our communication skills now that we’re married won’t we?”  
  
“Yeah, I guess so. Speaking of communication skills though! You will never guess who is going to be along for the trip with us!”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“No really! Guess!”  
  
“Lance, it could be literally anyone,” Keith groaned out. But seeing that Lance was really excited and Keith was still hyped up that he was married now! He supposed he could give just one guess. But not before flopping onto the bed with such a large eye roll, Lance might have thought he fainted. “Elvis Presley?”  
  
“What! Keith! He’s dead! Fine, fine! Prince Lotor! I just got done with chatting with him and he's actually such a cool guy and wow. He has quite the plans for Gelra, and he wants to meet up during the train ride sometime so we can chat some more and this is so exciting!”  
  
“Really? Lance, how expensive is the trip? There's actual royalty riding this? What?”  
  
“Well Prince Lotor is trying to do some good stuff for Galra and he's trying not to be like his father so I think that probably includes not buying too extravagant of things. I don’t know though but ughhhh, you will not believe what I said to him before I left. Actually, you probably don’t want to know. You know what? Nevermind! Lotor and I just had a nice talk and nothing else happened that should concern you at all so what's happening with you?”  
  
“Lance. What’d you say?”  
  
“Nothing!”  
  
“Lance!”  
  
“Okay, okay. So I may have mentioned that you and I wouldn’t be leaving our room that much if he knew what I meant, wink wink, nudge nudge.” Lance had the decency to feel a bit embarrassed telling Keith.  
  
“You said what?” Keith’s face turned red. Both with embarrassment and the signature look of ‘why is Lance such a loveable idiot?’ “You said that to a prince?”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“I suppose it could be worse. At least he knows you’re taken,” Keith finished with a a mischevious look in his eyes.  
  
“Keith!”  
  
“What? You can’t blame me for feeling a little threatened. He is a Prince.” Keith’s face dropped a little. He had had problems with accepting he was good enough for Lance in the past, and although Keith assured Lance he had the utmost trust in him, that didn’t mean he let go of his problems accepting Lance could be happy with him.  
  
“Oh Keith. Do I need to remind you that we’re married?”  
  
The mischief returned to Keith’s face as he slowly closed the gap between their faces. Humming against Lance’s lips, “maybe…”  
  
Lance’s lips split into a grin. As they fell against the bed, the train started to move. Now this was a honeymoon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shiro stepped into the main dining car. After taking a seat at one of the single person tables with a newspaper, he took a good look at his surroundings. Multiple tables of varying amounts of room for guests in orderly rows positioned around the room. Moveable glass walls stood as dividers between separate tables. Each table held a white flickering candle on top of a red tablecloth. A bar made of faded red glass stationed at the back with the door to the communal seating area on the left. And just to Shiro’s right sat an older man and a young girl. Both completely invested in the thick books in their hands. The older man took notes in his journal only for the young woman to pull the book to her side, erase what he had written, and write something else over the area. She would then push it right back over without him noticing.  
  
This process was repeated a few times before Shiro had finally realized he should probably make an effort to introduce himself. They would be together for a while. He should get acquainted with them.  
  
He pushed his chair in, stuffed the newspaper in his coat pocket, and approached the two as slowly as possible to try to give them time to escape whatever world their books dragged them into.  
  
The young girl he would learn to be Pidge saw him first. She put her hand on what he would learn to be her father’s arm to pull him out of his focus.  
  
“Hello, sorry to disturb you, but I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Takashi Shirogane, but you can just call me Shiro.”  
  
“Hello Shiro, My name is Samuel Holt. This is my daughter Katie.” Samuel gave Shiro a dazed smile until Katie poked his arm to completely pull him out of whatever trance led him to give such an out of it smile. “Ah, sorry, that would be Pidge. She doesn’t like Katie anymore because it doesn’t sound scientific enough. Now Coleen and I, that would be my wife, have tried to reassure her people in the scientific community will see through any name to the smarts she has but I suppose-” Pidge had poked his arm again. “And I’ve overshared a bit. Sorry.”  
  
“No worries! I take it you two are scientists?”  
  
“Yes, we’re on our way to a very large gathering of scientists in Galra. So what takes you to Galra?”  
  
“I’m a detective for hire, and someone in Galra caught wind of my work.  
  
“That’s grand! Will we be seeing any of your work in the papers?”  
  
“If I do my job right? Hopefully not. My clients do prefer a bit of secrecy.”  
  
“That I can understand. This meeting in Galra is also quite hush hush. Can’t have the world knowing about all the advancements they’ll be getting before we do!”  
  
Shiro and Samuel shared a smile while Pidge poked her father’s arm yet again.  
  
“Well I should get going,” Shiro said. “I’ve got an amazing chef to deliver a gift to. You guys are in for a real treat with him by the way. Best chef in the world.”  
  
“We look forward to it!”  
  
Shiro went back the way he came to the kitchen area. When he boarded, Hunk wasn’t been aboard yet, but the train started moving as he had been reading the newspaper so Hunk better be on by now.  
  
Walking beside the wall that divided the hallway of this cart from the kitchen, Shiro made his way to the door that said kitchen staff only. Three knocks later got a red-faced Hunk and blast of steam to poke their heads out the door.  
  
“Shiro!”  
  
“Hunk!”  
  
“I’d love to chat, but I really want to get this first batch of appetizers done to perfection and this job is really important and it has to be perfect.”  
  
“It’s okay Hunk! I understand. I just wanted to give you this real quick.” Upon handing the bagged present to Hunk, his face lit up.  
  
“Shiro! You shouldn’t have!”  
  
“Of course Hunk, this is a big deal for you! Now get back in that kitchen! It’s going to taste great!”  
  
With a final thankful smile from Hunk, the door was slammed closed.  
  
“Excuse us.” A shoulder shoved past his is the slim hallway outside the door. Three women were trying to get by. The first one had slid by no problem. She possessed quite the disarming smile on her face, her brown hair up in a tall ponytail, and dressed in a sleek pastel pink dress. The second woman hadn’t even given him a glance as she walked right past. Her hair cut to a bob and a brown trench coat covered her body. He would have thought little of these women had it not been for the last one to pass him. She occupied the area with broad shoulders, a grim look on her face, and when she passed, bumped into him with a grunt. Considering she was in a black trench coat, he shouldn’t have been able to see the gun she kept strapped to her hip. But as she hit his shoulder, her coat had opened. As a detective, Shiro tries his hardest not to jump to conclusions.  
  
But with no amount of uncertainty, he knew these women were Italian mafia.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With dinner about to start, the guests began to leave the comfort of their rooms. All thirteen guests were about to be in the same room at once. Together they would socialize. They would eat. And they would wake up the next day. Most wondering what happened the night before. Because this train ride was about to take a veer away from a shiny luxury vacation to a dim track of treachery.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What’s this? And where’s Lance?
> 
> Pretty much sums it up

A perfect solution. And a thousand and one loose ends. How could they be so careless? But never the less, they couldn't go back now. And it's not as if this plan wasn't without its merits. They could work with this. They would work with this. And in the end, nobody would be any the wiser.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They messed up. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. Not at all. Oh, and they'd be so angry with them! They wouldn't understand this. Never. But they completed the action. And there would be no backing down. They were already in too deep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lance?" Keith called out. Keith really didn't want to get up yet. "Lance, are you in the bathroom?" He was completely content to stay in bed all day after the filling dinner he had had last night. He let his mind wander. Maybe Lance went to grab breakfast for them both. That was an amazing thought. But also unfair to Lance to do all the work! So Keith decided it was time for him to get up. He grabbed the first outfit he found and left the warmth of the room.

His carefree mood changed the second he stepped into the dining car. Lance was nowhere to be seen and two people were sweeping up piles of broken glass. One he recognized as the chef that explained the dining options the night before and the other he recognized as the woman that introduced herself as Shay when she knocked on their room last night with fresh towels.

As Keith laughed at how unfortunate yet predictable at the same time it was for them to fall (I mean come on, who puts glass dividers on a moving train and expects them not to break?) a thought occurred to him. Lance could have been here when it fell. He could have been hurt.

"Excuse me? Did my husband by chance come through here this morning?"

The chef dropped the broom he held and went rigid before relaxing. "You scared me! But sorry, no, you're the only one to come by here so far. I think most people are sleeping in. A good thing too because this is a mess."

Shay let out a sigh. "It'll be clean soon. Did you check the living area for your husband?"

"Yeah, I had to come through it to get here."

“Maybe check the back viewing area? You have to go through the luggage car to get there. It’s a very scenic area." Hunk provided helpfully.

With a new lead on Lance, Keith said his thank yous and started his journey to the back of the train. The shelves of the luggage car were lined with suitcases and bags. At the end of the car, a large deadbolted door stood as a barrier to the fastmoving outside world. Next to it, a sliding door. The sliding door was cracked open to a small room with 2 comfortable chairs and a small table between them. The wall in front had a floor to ceiling window showcasing the scenery idling by.

This is definitely a place he would want to relax with Lance at. And he could just picture Lance spending his early morning time out here. Keith took a second to sit down and watch the scenery pass before the real problem floated back into his mind. Lance wasn't in this room. Just because he might have been earlier wasn't the answer he was looking for. So Keith took one last look at the view before heading back out the sliding door.

It was then that he noticed something disturbing. A tarp hastily squished between two suitcases. Hidden from people entering the room but obvious to anyone leaving. On the tarp, a large trail of dried blood had oozed out from the folds.

Leaving Keith with the bloody evidence and the urgent question of 'Where is Lance?'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A pounding on the door jolted him awake. Train, bed, Galra, Hunk... Oh yes. Alright then. Shiro decided he better not leave the person frantically banging on his door waiting. He wasn't in the market to be going doorless the rest of this trip.

“Who is it?" he called, grabbing his coat off the hanger to look more put together.

“Keith... Please open up, this is urgent." The waver in Keiths voice was so foreign to Shiro that he yanked the door open much quicker than he should have.

"What is it?" Keith's eyes scattered around. "Is it something with your husband?" Kieth's hand clenched at his side. "I know marriage can be hard, trust me, I know, but you will work through whatever this is." Keith's lip twitched.

"I uh, I think something happened to Lance."

"Okay, do you want to start at the beginning?" After a moment of hesitance, a mask of calm crept down Keith's face.

"He's nowhere to be found on the train and I found copious amounts of blood on a tarp stuffed between suitcases. Considering Lance is famous, it's highly possible he would be the target of a nefarious act."

Shiro's heart skipped a beat. Thoughts swirled around and different parts of him wanted to say different things. But right now Keith had turned into investigator Keith so Shiro needed to be Detective Shiro.

"Okay, when's the last time you saw him?"

"When we went to bed last night. We went to sleep immediately after dinner because we're not adjusted to the time change yet. I didn't hear him get up at any time, but I was in a pretty deep sleep last night from exhaustion. When I woke up this morning he wasn't in bed. I went to check the dining car where I found the cooks. They told me to check behind the luggage area because of a nice viewing area. I did. Lance wasn't there but once I exited I noticed a tarp with large amounts of blood on it. Then I went straight to you."

“Thank you, Keith. Can you lead me to the evidence you found?"

"Of course." Their movements were robotic. None of the joking from past friendships. No smiles about inside jokes. None of the pleasantries as there had been during dinner the night before. This was business.

They passed Samuel Holt on his way out of the luggage car. He shot them a smile but was met with wary eyes and a half-nod from Shiro. He quickly hurried past.

"There. Right... ah... It was here! Shiro, I swear to god it was right there! There was blood on a tarp right there and it was stuffed between two suitcases. And... I'm not losing my mind. I promise."

"Woah!" Shiro placed his arms on the sides of Keith's arms. "It's alright. I know this is serious. How long have you known Lance to be missing?"

“Since I woke up about half an hour ago, but Shiro, Lance wouldn't run off like this. I know it. I can feel it. Somethings happened to him."

“I understand. Can you check one last time to see if Lance is in your room while I ask around? It will only take a few minutes but it's possible you two have just missed each other in the halls a few times. If he’s in your room, come find me. Otherwise, stay in your room, you need time to process this. If he's still nowhere to be found, I'll talk to the employees in first class to see if we can have everybody on this train meet up in the dining area."

"Okay." Kieth turns to leave.

"Keith."

"Yeah?"

“We'll figure this out. I promise."

Kieth nodded and hurried out. Shiro lingered for a second. Nothing about this added up. Lance was famous, yes, so he would have enemies. But to sabotage him on a train? It’s nearly impossible to gain access to while moving. And yes, Lance had been missing for less than 30 minutes, but Keith's instinct had always been impeccable. And there was, of course, the problem with the missing evidence. Shiro never knew Keith to hallucinate, but upon first glance, there wasn't any apparent blood. But that only meant a closer look could turn something up.

Shiro bent down to examine the floor in front of him before moving any closer. Stepping on any smaller evidence could potentially ruin an investigation. And harrowing enough, Shiro did find a literal sliver of evidence. The thinnest shard of glass rolled between the metal grooves of the floor glinted with the light streaming through the window. Glass that shouldn’t have any way to get in here.

Shiro abruptly stood up to locate the extra suitcase he hadn't been planning on needing during this trip. The suitcase with his investigation tools. Albeit more than half of the space was taken up by professional looking cardigans, but the other part held crime scene investigation equipment. He grabbed first a roll of yellow caution tape. No matter if it was legal or not, it was more than handy in keeping most people out of a crime scene. He panned out two rolls in front of the entrance to the car. He next grabbed a pair of tweezers, gloves and a plastic bag.

With the gloves on and bag at the ready, he carefully picked up the fragment of glass from the thinnest point. Once held to the light, he let out a small sigh. He wished Keith's instinct wasn't so spot on. Because now that the glass wasn't shielded by the grooves of the floor, he found that the sliver was slightly longer. And colored red.

This was turning into an investigation. One he knew would wound Keith to his core if the worst case scenario played out. But for now, he needed to check the rest of the area.

Moving forward inches at a time, he examined each groove of the floor and started slowly working his way up. Up the shelves holding extra luggage until he got to the two suitcases Keith had said the tarp had been between. And still, nothing more. Not even a hint of stained red in the area.

He continued his search towards the metal door. There had to be some sort of further evidence. No one could clean up a crime scene perfectly and if they let something as large as a sliver of glass pass them by, there had to be more.

And yet the area he was searching held no further clues so he let himself think it over. Somebody had come in here. Somehow bringing in glass with blood on it. One possible scenario is a person dropped an object made of glass, cut themselves on it, cleaned it up, and left a part that they tracked in here through their shoe. Or it was part of a murder weapon somebody had disposed of in their bag. Or... well the possibilities were endless. But none of the ones flying through his head made any sense.

Back to the suitcases then, they were organized by person, then by size. And that was where he found the clue. The suitcases had been moved around. Two of Pidge Holt's suitcases were now where Acxa Saietta's luggage should be. He goes to locate Acxa Saietta's missing bags but finds something else instead. On Coran Wimbleton's bag tag are three bloody fingerprints. One on the front appears to be a thumb and the two on the back look to be the forefinger and middle finger. The thumb is only a partial print, but from the radius compared to the two on the back, it's the largest which means the thumb. The positioning suggests somebody grabbed it to examine it as the fingerprints cover none of the lettering.

Shiro grabs his scissors and another bag to take the evidence. The prints would be important to see if they match any of the passengers and with the missing tarp, Shiro can't risk anyone coming in to tamper with more evidence.

After another two sweeps of the room turn up no missing Acxa Saietta bags and no further evidence, he takes what equipment and evidence he does have and heads to the dining car where at least one employee should be for breakfast. He no longer has any doubt that some sort of crime has been committed and he needs to act as quickly as possible.

Instead of picking up Keith on his way, he goes immediately to the dining car. To his dismay, he sees Hunk and Shay closing two bags and a lack of glass dividers.

“Excuse me, but a crime was committed last night. As a detective and a friend, Hunk, I ask you as employees who want the best for their guests to comply to my next questions and commands. Am I right to assume those bags hold glass?"

“Broken glass from the dividers. They fell last night.” Hunk knew well enough what detective Shiro sounded like. Detective Shiro was not someone you wanted to get in the way of.

"Odd. I'm going to need you to gently set them down and then Hunk, go to the storage car while Shay goes to the sleeping quarters car. Hunk, you will not let anyone in the storage car, it is now a crime scene, and Shay, you will not let anyone out of their rooms. After searching through this room for any extra evidence, I will knock on each door individually and gauge their reactions to the news. All of them are suspects and will be treated as such. They will then be ordered to move to this dining car. I appreciate your compliance."

"Of course Shiro, but... this is my first week on the job and it would probably be better if we called this into station...?"

Shiro's expression faltered. He had forgotten this wasn't his jurisdiction. Flashing his badge would only do so much. But he needed haste right now. "Hunk, I respect that this isn't my area of command, but right now, getting as much evidence before the trail goes cold is of the utmost importance. Can we call this in once everybody has been gathered? I hate to ask this much of you buddy but a person has gone missing. And there is bloody evidence scattered across first class that needs proper handling and we all need to move now."

Shay looked to Hunk for his approval. "Okay, Shiro. I trust you."

Before Shiro could finish his sigh of relief, Hunk had already ushered Shay out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock at his cabin door startled Lotor out of writing his letter. A thin line in black ink now made its way through the word 'leave'.

“Coming, coming. Just one second. Ah, Shiro, I presume? How may I help you?" Lotor had, of course, memorized names and faces. Shiro was by no means the most important name, yet still a notable one. He had solved the famous Desacry case. The murder of two young siblings. The children of Messany Desacry, dutchess of Olkarian.

"You would presume correctly. I come with the terrible news of a crime committed on this train last night. A passenger of first class has been kidnapped or killed. I am gathering all first class passengers in the dining car for safety and then questioning. While you may be royalty, your help and compliance in solving this crime is not a request."

“Of course. May I ask who the victim was? Or… is?"

"A man by the name of Lance."

"Oh. This is most troubling news. You can count on any help necessary from the Galran empire."

Lotor received a nod from Shiro as he moved from the doorway to usher him out.

“Is it possible for me to grab my work from the desk?"

"I'm sorry, but as you are a suspect along with everyone else, I have to ask you to refrain from moving anything in your room. The evidence it could provide is important."

"Of course, I'll be on my way then."

Lotor slipped past him into the hallway. At the end, Shay stood guard to the door to the dining car. When he looked back, Shiro leaned against the wall with a notepad in hand, scribbling furiously. It was then that Lotor understood. The questioning had already begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! You’re a pretty cool person! And if you’d like to give any form of feedback, go for it, I’m not picky! And let’s hope my Sunday update schedule persists... I’m sure I can do it though... probably


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The interviews begin!

"You are all gathered here under the unfortunate circumstances of Lance McClain's disappearance. You are brought not only for your own safety but also for questioning. I will rely on the compliance of each of you to make this a safe train once again. Thank you,” Shiro finished.

  
One of these people hurt Lance. It was more than just a feeling for Keith. And when he found out who, he would have his revenge. Which meant right now he would watch. Observe. Find the person out of place.

  
He turned his eyes on the gathering. Shiro in the front addressing them. The staff stood on the left of Shiro in the corner. Shiro had vouched for Hunk and they had compiled so far but... The staff would have easy access to the whole train. And shouldn't there be someone out as a night staff? He marked that as a question for later. Among the six tables spread in two columns, Allura and Coran sat in the first in the left. Allura gave Shiro her whole attention to the point where she looked calculating. Coran threw the occasional glance behind him but most often fiddled with his fingernails while watching Shiro. His eyes often settled on the table with Lotor and Haggar. Lotor had much the same look as Allura, if not with a little more sorrow in his expression. Possibly faking? Haggar fiddled with the hem of her shawl. Keith felt like taking her by the shoulders, screaming that this is his husband that's missing. Pay some fucking attention. His gaze swept to their bodyguard when he realized his mental projections weren't working. Their bodyguard somehow blended into nonexisting shadows. If he hadn't been looking for him, he would have gone unnoticed. The bodyguard's gaze never stopped sweeping the room. Back on the left side of the room sat Pidge and Sam Holt. Sam had sat Pidge's chair as close to the wall as he could get it, then put his chair in front of hers and everyone else’s like a barrier. Either the actions of a scared parent or the motions of someone concealing a secret. Which brought him to the last group. Three girls who appeared to be wealthy wives... or lovers (it would definitely be a rarity, but not impossible), but neither description seemed right to him. The way they were huddled currently could be blown off as housewife gossip, but the way their eyes roamed and their posture screamed back off gave him a different vibe. He just didn’t know what to make of them.   
  
Keith could have spent a millennium watching, taking notes, trying to find motives, but Shiro's arm landing on his shoulder threw him out of his thoughts.   
  
"Keith, it's time we got some facts straight."   
  
Shiro led him past the tables of suspects to the sitting room. Shay followed behind. The door closed behind Shiro as Keith took a seat in one of the two armchairs. "Keith, I need to make a call about the circumstances with Shay here. While we're gone, I'd like you to write down every step leading up to this moment along with any interactions Lance may have had with any of the members aboard." Shiro tears 3 pages out of his notebook and sets his pen down in front of him. The clicking of their shoes on tile disappears when the door closes with a soft click.

Keith taps the pen. Where should he start? When they had arrived in Paris? He moves one paper to lay in front of him. It glides silently across the table. Or should he skip right to dinner the first night? His ears pick up on the clacking of the wheels against the track. It's rhythmic, but not calming. He tells himself to just start at the beginning. Just put the pen to paper and start writing. Writing like his client's did when someone they loved disappeared. Writing like he had to do when he wrote back to them that they'd never see their loved one again. Because their body had turned up in the river. Or behind a bar. Or in a basement. Write like he had to when he gave his statement to the judge against the murderer. Write like he had to when the case was finally closed and that was that. Everyone was supposed to move on from the deceased and continue with their lives.  
  
The clacking of the train grew deafening. The sound of his pen tracing an L devastating. The sobs wrenching from his chest crushing. He would never see Lance again. He would never get to listen to his teasing, laugh along to his jokes, cuddle by the fire, be wrapped up in one of his hugs. Never again.   
  
His arms circled around his chest and squeezed. Sobs wracked out of his throat. Spiraling. Being no help to Lance.   
  
Keith wouldn't remember how long he sat there but he would remember the warm calloused hand that rested on his arm. Being encircled in something that wasn't Lance. Nowhere near. But warm enough that he could pretend. For even just a second. That this wouldn't be his life. He was still at home. In Lance's arms.   
  
The moment broke when Shiro gently replaced his body with a blanket and helped him to his feet. His sniffles clouding the air like a mood dampener.   
  
"Buddy, I'm going to get you to your room. This wasn't the right place to do this. It's alright. You can let it all out. I understand."   
  
Keith kept his head bowed down, walking behind Shiro as they passed through the dining area once more. The whispers of the passengers a background noise to the thoughts still swirling.   
  
Once Keith had been tucked securely into bed, Shiro began filling the white noise.   
  
"Keith, I'm so sorry this has happened to you. And you will have all the time in the world to grieve if necessary. And in which case, I will be right there beside you, supporting you at every turn, but right now you need to be strong just a little longer. You can't let go of the possibility of Lance still being here and needing our help. So please stay with me for just a little longer."   
  
"Shiro he's all I had. He's all I fucking had. And now he's gone."   
  
"Keith we don't know that, come on now."   
  
"They all," Keith hiccuped back a sob. "They all leave. I don't think I can do this right now."   
  
"You can Keith. You can and you will. For Lance. We are not letting him go without a fight."   
  
"But letting who go Shiro? Lance or his murderer? Because I don't think I can take chasing after the hope of him still being alive only to find out his body has been mutilated and I need to go on fucking trial against the person who ruined our life."   
  
"And if you found out he's not dead right now and you waited? You think you could live with the guilt? Because let me tell you something, that is not something I've seen anybody recover from. So you are going to sit down and buckle in because we are seeing this through to the end." The room degraded to silence. "You need closure."   
  
"I…. Yeah. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Shiro was right. Of course. Keith needed to be prepared for anything. "Let's begin then. It will come as no surprise I wasn’t able to get any notes in, so I will just start from the beginning and try to keep it slow enough for you to write."   
  
"That’s all I can ask for. Thank you."   
  
"We arrived in Paris five hours before the train left. We didn't run into anybody and spent half the time just getting to the station. Then we spent the next hour in the knife shop. A few customers came in, but none I recognize from these passengers. Lance left an hour before the train left to check in and make sure our arrangements were in order. I continued on to buy a few knives, bump into you, and then head to a different store to buy Lance a moisturizer as a gift. He had been asking for it for a while. When I got to the room, he wasn't there yet, so I found an employee to get me into the room and grabbed our bags. I had just enough time to unpack before Lance came back. He told me he had gotten sidetracked by Lotor. They had discussed together Lotor's plans for his country before Lance came back to our room. Could that be it! Lotor wouldn't want those plans getting out! But then why tell Lance at all? He wouldn't create a mess int-"   
  
"Just the facts for now Keith, we can theorize once we have everything written out."   
  
"Of course. So then once dinner rolled around, we sat at the first table on the right. The one in front of Lotor's and to the side of Allura's. I introduced you two. Lotor stopped by to introduce himself. The giggly girl in that group of three walked by our table a few times; always throwing a little smile or wave to Lance. Then we went to our room and went to sleep. I woke up to no Lance. Checked in the dining area to find Hunk and Shay cleaning up glass. Hunk suggested I look into the back viewing area. I found the evidence. Got you. We passed Samuel on his way out of the baggage area where the evidence had disappeared. Which could mean! Well, anyway, I went back to the room and sat to wait for you. And now we're here."   
  
"How did Lance act after Lotor?"   
  
"Well he seemed giddy, to be honest, but I think that was more because of the present and the honeymoon. He did say he was embarrassed for saying a sexual innuendo to Lotor, but not scared or shaken in any way."   
  
"How did you feel about Lance spending time with Lotor?"   
  
"Well, a little jealous but- Shiro! I would never! How could you-"   
  
"Keith, I am investigating any possible lead. That includes things to do with you. You would do the exact same, and I wouldn't ask any less of you. Please don't ask less of me."   
  
"Of course Shiro, but you know I would never... Right? I would never!"   
  
"Of course. Of course. Just have to explore everything to get a complete picture. Now can you describe to me to detail what the disappeared evidence looked like? I need you to be as accurate as possible."   
  
"You couldn't see anything as you entered, but once you had to leave the room, the tarp became immediately noticeable. Probably only concealed for the general passerby’s. But whoever's suitcases it was between would have seen it! So that leads me to think it either wasn't a permanent hiding spot, or whoever hid it wanted the owner of the suitcases to see it, or they hid it there because they owned the suitcase and no one would go near their stuff. They probably didn't know about the door though? But it was right there. They had to know. Shiro?"   
  
"Back to the topic Keith."   
  
"Why did you decide to start an official investigation anyway? Oh. You found something. By God Shiro, you found something and you didn't tell me? I need to know this. I need to help you!"   
  
"You are Keith. Once I have all the facts, I can fill you in on everything, but I need you to be completely unbiased while judging motive."   
  
"But I need to help now! That's what that whole speech earlier was about!"   
  
"Keith, you are helping! Last two questions. How much blood did you see on the tarp and did you see anything else in or by the tarp?"   
  
"Enough that some had run down the side, and no, I didn't see anything else."   
  
"Okay. Actually, one last question, how old would you say the blood seemed?"   
  
"It was slightly browning, but I didn't touch it, so I don't know if it was still wet. But anything could have been inside. It was all crumpled up."   
  
"I understand. Keith, I'm going to continue the questioning with the passengers. While I'm doing so, I'd like you to look through all your stuff in this room. Look for anything missing or anything that could connect Lance to other passengers."   
  
"Okay, but I did have one question that could change a lot. Could someone from the other cars have come onto this one?"   
  
A bittersweet smile slid onto Shiro's face. "Great minds think alike, huh? I already asked the staff. They assured me no one could have crossed over. Especially at night. The staff quarters are between us and the rest of the train. Both sides are locked at night."   
  
"Oh. Okay. Goodbye then. Uh, be great,"   
  
"Do good." Shiro finished. Their regular goodbye at the academy. Their good luck charm. And by goodness, they'd need it.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Shiro stepped into the tense room of suspects. Some looked worried, some looked bored, and some looked downright fearful. Lotor fit somewhere between worried and bored. Interested may be a more accurate description. He was locked into a discussion with Haggar.   
  
Until the door alerted them to his arrival. Conversation lulled and eyes turned to him. He probably should have decided who to investigate before he walked in. The way he saw it, he had two options. Either interrogate Lotor first, the one with the most motive or start with someone who had the least motive to throw them off balance. But ultimately, he needed Lotor's side of the story before he could really start to form theories that didn't revolve around him.   
  
"Lotor, I'd like to speak with you first. If you could follow me to the next car?"   
  
"Alright."   
  
Away from prying eyes, Shiro took a seat across from Lotor. "I have a few questions, but let's start out a little lighter?"   
  
"I am open to any questions."   
  
"Yes, of course. Now you are a prince? Or a king?"   
  
"Well not many know this, but after my father's passing, I should have become king of Galra. But I have a different plan in mind. I wish to put my country on track to becoming a democracy. I am using my time of grievance to plan out steps with surrounding countries."   
  
"That will be a large step in Galran history! Why would you be taking time away from your country for this train ride then?"   
  
"I'm actually on business right now. I'm supposed to discuss with dignitary Allura the futures for our two countries."   
  
"I see. Could you tell me about Lance now? When was the first time you heard of him?"   
  
"Ah, here is what I was expecting. I can't say I'd never heard of him before this trip. My time traveling gave me knowledge of many famous people around the globe and Lance happened to be one of the many I had heard of. I'd never given him much thought. I've maybe heard two of his songs. But I like to keep myself informed about any situation I walk into. I read up on every passenger before boarding."   
  
"And did what you learn about Lance interest you?"   
  
"I learned that Lance is an interesting person, but I paid his name no more attention than I paid yours."   
  
"I see. Have you had any contact with him while aboard?"   
  
"Yes, he and I had a discussion of about an hour before the train left. I introduced myself to him. He seemed quite easy to talk to, and I was nervous about the discussions I would be having with Allura."   
  
"And what did you end up discussing?"   
  
"We discussed quite a few things, but mainly the future I intend to install to the Galran empire."   
  
"Would it be accurate to say you wouldn't want the future you have planned to be released earlier than necessary to your people?"   
  
"I suppose."   
  
"Would it also be true to assume Lance had a stance of power to be able to ruin not only your plans, but your country as a whole?"   
  
"Now wait just a second." Lotor stood.   
  
"So you would need a way to make sure he never let those secrets out. So you had him killed by your bodyguard." Shiro rose to be level.   
  
"I would never. I choose who I trust carefully. I knew Lance would never tell my secrets. Why would I ever tell him if it meant I would have to kill him?"   
  
"Your father recently passed away and your country hangs in your hands. You're bound to need to let some steam off eventually."   
  
Lotor sat back down. "I did believe you led a more dignified investigation Takashi."   
  
"I will do what I must to find the truth." Shiro sat as well. "Just a few questions more, can you walk me through everything after you met with Lance?"   
  
"After the train left, I went to my room. My suitcases had already been dropped off, so I got straight to work planning the meeting between Allura and I. I dropped off a few papers for Haggar an hour before dinner for her to revise. Come dinner, I sat with Haggar while we went back over our papers. I introduced myself to Lance's husband, then went over to Allura's table to have our first meeting in person. After dinner, I arranged a time of meeting with Haggar for the morning. I returned to my room and proceeded to read and revise papers for about an hour. Then I went to sleep."   
  
"Was there any disturbance in the halls during that hour?"   
  
"There was plenty of milling around. Right after dinner seems like a good time to go back to your room."   
  
"Naturally. Was there any odd action. It could even just be a random noise you weren't expecting to hear. Anything could be helpful in solving this mystery."   
  
"Well, Haggar's room did have a visitor right after I turned my lights out for the night. It was probably just the staff doing last rounds or the bodyguard doing one last check. Or even Haggar being paranoid. But I do remember thinking it was odd."   
  
"Thank you. If I have any further questions, I will alert you. For now, I would like you to sit at a separate table than the others and to not speak. Simply for keeping stories straight."   
  
"I will."   
  
Lotor exited. Shiro added to his steadily growing notepad.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
The first thing he felt was the cold. Seeping into his bones, chilling the breath around him. The next thing to come back was hearing. Just a steady clacking and wind rushing by. Then, he felt pain. In the stiffness of his back. The throb of his arm. And with pain came hunger. A clenching in his stomach. The last to come was fear. The fear of not knowing where he was. Fear that his hands moved not 3 inches above him before hitting a metal ceiling. The last thing he remembered... didn't make sense. Where was he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Three whole chapters? That’s crazy! Anyway, season 8 comes out next week so next chapter will either be a few short interviews or the notes from Shiro’s notepad. Comment if you have a preference? I might just do both anyway though. But also, Season 8? Scary stuff my friends. Scary stuff. Making or breaking all klancers in one final blow. Honestly super excited no matter what though! Okay, well thanks for reading, comment, kudos, yada, yada. Also, this chapter needs some serious revisions so I’ll go back and do those at some point this year which really isn’t that much longer. Okay, bye for reals this time! (Until next chapter)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments are much appreciated but kudos also show me if you like where it’s going! This is still in the process of being written (Nov. 26) so any suggestions in the comments have the possibility of changing the story!  
> Thank you again for reading and most any criticism is welcome, hope to see you at the next update (hopefully updating every Sunday)


End file.
